Ridley Pakenham-Walsh

Major-General Ridley Pakenham Pakenham-Walsh CB MC (1888–1966) was a senior British Army officer who became General Officer Commanding (GOC) Northern Ireland District.

Ridley Pakenham-Walsh
Born	1888
Died	1966 (aged 77-78)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1908–1946
Rank	Major-General
Unit	Royal Engineers
Commands held	Salisbury Plain District IX Corps Northern Ireland District
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Companion of the Order of the Bath Military Cross

Military career

Pakenham-Walsh was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1908.[1] He became an instructor at the Royal Military College, Duntroon in Australia in 1914.[1]

He served in World War I in the Dardanelles and in France and Belgium.[1] After the War he became British Representative at the International Commission in Teschen in Poland before becoming an instructor in Tactics at the Royal School of Military Engineering in 1923.[1] He was appointed a General Staff Officer and then Assistant Adjutant General at the War Office before becoming a Brigadier on the General Staff of Eastern Command in 1935.[1] In 1939 he returned to the Royal School of Military Engineering as Commandant.[1]

He served in World War II as Engineer-in-Chief for the British Expeditionary Force in France and Belgium before becoming General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland District in 1940.[1] He was appointed Commander of IX Corps in 1941 and Commander of Salisbury Plain District in 1942.[1] His last appointment was as Controller General for Army Provision (Eastern Group) in 1943.[1] He retired in 1946.[1]

His name appears on a War Memorial in Rathmichael Church in Shankill in County Dublin.[2]

References

1. Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
2. Irish War Memorials